Current redistricting maps will be used for the coming election

Updated 1:40 am, Saturday, September 1, 2012

Texas will use its current district maps for the upcoming November election, a panel of federal judges ruled Friday afternoon, ending the possibility of another round of redistricting-induced electoral chaos.

From the bench, federal Judge Orlando Garcia announced the next round of filings in the ongoing congressional map challenges would be due before Dec. 1, delaying further action until after the general election.

“We're really relieved that we can continue with the Nov. 6 election and keep it on track,” Bexar Elections Administrator Jacquelyn Callanen said, adding that she stopped proofing ballots to attend the hearing.

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Earlier this week, a panel of federal judges in Washington struck down redistricting maps passed by the Texas Legislature. The judges unanimously found the congressional districts were crafted with discriminatory intent and would lessen the ability of minorities to elect the candidates of their choice.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed notification Friday that he would appeal that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

And while those maps never were implemented, the interim maps drawn for the 2012 election largely mirror the Legislature's now-rejected maps.

“Every judge that has looked at this thing has found problems with the state's attempts to disenfranchise Latino voters and African American voters,” said Luis Vera, an attorney for the League of United Latin American Citizens, which led the effort to have the judicial panel consider making significant changes to the interim maps before November.

However, the judges and other groups battling the state over redistricting were skeptical that it would be possible to implement significant changes to the current maps in time for the fall election.

Callanen had testified that counties were federally mandated to have all of their ballots mailed by Sept. 22, to comply with Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act.

Asked about those concerns, Vera said the judges would have to pick between two evils: allowing discrimination to continue or throwing many of the general election contests into chaos.

Jose Garza, the attorney for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, said his group supported making changes to the interim map, but that those changes should be made after the election. Several other major groups seemed to support the caucus' position.